Improvement in pedometers



\ B. S. CHURCH.

PEDOMETER.

Patented July 1877.

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N- PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAFHER. WASHVNGYON. D C.

NrrED STATES BENJAMIN S.YCHURCH, OF SGARBOROUGH, NEW YORK.

lIMPROVEMENT IN PEDOMETERS.

l Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 193,22A, dated July17, 1877; application filed May 25, 1877.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, BENJAMIN S. CHURCH, of Scarborough, New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Pedometers, of which the following is aspecification:

In the drawings is represented, in Figure l, a plan view of theinstrument with its cover removed; Fig. 2, a vertical section thereof'on line :c x of Fig. 15 Fig. 3, a top view thereof, the case beingremoved, on line y y of Fig. l 5 Fig. 4, plan and sectional views ofthedial or indicator driving-wheel; Fig. 5, similar views of the pointerdriving-wheel 5 and Fig. 6, a plan view of a dial or indicator.

The object of this invention is to secure a more perfect operation ofthis class of instruments, whereby distances passed over may beaccurately measured and recorded, whether the steps taken in passingover the distance recorded be long or short.

The invention consists in certain constructions and combinations ofparts too fully hereinafter pointed out to need preliminary description.

The mechanisms are contained in a cylindrical box or case, A, which ispreferably swaged from plate or sheet metal, and closed by a cover, B,which may fit within the box sides, or be hinged thereto. lt may,further more, be provided with a pin, C, for afxing the instrument tothe person, or with a ring or handle by which it may be attached orcarried.

The actuating mechanism consists of alever, 2, weighted at one end, andpivoted at the other upon a stud fast in the back plate of the case,which lever 2 has a counterbalancing-spring, 3,'applied to it, so as toovercome the power of its weighted end 4, and always keep it in a raisedposition, as in Fig. 1.

The spring illustrated is a spiral, having one end attached to the caseor to a post secured thereto, and the other fast to its hub, throughwhich its sustaining pivot extends 5 but it may, obviously, be of anyother construction, and otherwise attached to the lever. This levercarries a spring-seated pawl, 5, which engages the teeth of theratchet-wheel 7, so that at each vibration ofthe lever 2 said pawl willrotate the ratchet-Wheel the distance of one tooth, al detenta-lever, 6,preventing any FFICE.

backward movement of it. This ratchet-whee carries fast upon its shaft adriving-pinion, 8 which is wide enough to gear with both of the toothedwheels 9 10, as in Figs. 2 and 3. The toothed wheel 9 is fast to a hub,12, as in Figs. 2 and 5, which rotate upon a stud, 13 fixed in the backplate of the case A, and car ries the index-hand or pointer 14.

The toothed wheel l0 revolves around the hub 12, and supports upon itsface the indi cator or dial 11, over which the pointer or in demand 14nes, and upon which it indicate# the pulsations of the lever 2.

The index-hand or pointer toothed wheel El has one or more teeth thanthe indicator or dial toothed wheel 10, and it therefore follows sinceboth are simultaneously rotated in one direction by the s'ame pinion 8,that the point er-wheel 9 will move faster than and gradu ally gain uponthe indicator or dial-carrying wheel l0, and thus be advanced a distanceequal to the width of one or more teeth at each revolution of the two.

This instrument will be adjusted upon the body of the wearer, with itslever 2 upper most, and as each step is taken the concussion producedwill overcome the counterbalancing-spring 3, and cause the lever 2 to bevibrated, and, at the same time, through the pawl 5, to advance theratchet-wheel 7 the dis tance of one tooth, and the driving-pinion 8 andtoothed wheels 9 l0 a corresponding distance. The pointer and disk willthus be simultaneously moved onward in the same .direction, so that whenthe wheels 9 1G have each made one revolution the pointer will havegained a certain distance upon the disk or indicator, which distancewill be registered by the scale marked thereon, and may indi cate a mileor any other distance.

As it is obvious thatthere are fewer long than short steps taken inpassing over a mile of distance, and therefore that the number ofpulsations of the lever is decreased accordingly, the instrument isadapted to register the distances traveled over, whether the number ofsteps taken in each mile be greater or less in number than the average.

Supposin g the average number of ste ps taken in traveling a mile besuch as will, through the vibrations of the lever 2, advance the 2 immerscales, increasing from the innermost to the outermost scale, and thepointer 14 is made adjustable radially upon its stud 12, so that its endmay coincide with any of the scalesl upon the indicator.

This variation in the scales upon the indicator may be made in variousways, two of which are shown. In one (see Fig. 1) the outer circle isdivided into twelve equal parts, each representing one mile, and theinner circle is divided into fourteen equal parts, of which only twelveare used in the scale. The points on the outer and inner circle arejoined by lines in succession, from line marked 0 on the dial to linemarked 12. Thus a scale is formed wherein the spaces indicating milesare shorter on the inner circle in the number of degrees contained thanare the spaces indicating miles on the outer circle.

In the dial illustrated in Fig. 6 the inner circle is divided intofifteen degrees, the next circle into fourteen, the next into thirteen,

and the next into twelve, whereby the length of the degrees upon thecircles are increased from the innermost to the outermost circle,whereby a number ot' steps equal to the distance of a mile will beindicated by one degree upon the innermost circle, while the greaternumber of shorter steps constituting this same distance will indicatethe mile traveled by one degree upon one of the circles nearer theperiphery of the indicator.

In adjusting this instrument to suit the length of step taken by theuser, it is only necessary to determine the distance the point of' theindicator will move while the distance of a mile is traveled over, andthen adjust the finger or index-hand 14 so that its point shall registerupon the circle whose degrees or graduations correspond with the lengthof movement of the pointer. Upon setting the pointer at Oon this circlethe instrument will correctly register the distance traveled by suchuser.

Thus by the mechanism employed a uniform movement of theactuating-lever, drivingpinion,indicator, and index-hand will accuratelymeasure and record the distance traveled by any person, whether his stepbe long or short.

The advantage of a ready adjustment of the index-hand, so that it mayrecord the distance traveled by any length of step, is apparent; but itis to be understood that, though the construction of this index-hand isshown to be a plate recessed so as to slide between a shoulder upon thehub 12 and a disk holding it thereon, other constructions of this devicemay be made without departing from the invention-for instance, it mightslide in a mortisc cut through the hub or be adjusted in ascrew-threaded hole cut therein.

What is claimed isl. The combination, with an actuating-lever, 2, anindicator and index-hand, of moving dif-v ferential toothed wheels 9 10,and intermediate mechanisms transmitting the motion of one to the other,substantially as described.

2. The combination of an index-hand and an indicator-dial, provided witha varying scale, both of which devices travel in the same direction witha differential movement, whereby the same number of pulsations of theactuatin g-lever produced by steps varying in length may record the truedistance traveled, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with' an indicator, provided with a varying scale,of an adjustable pointer or indeXhand, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence. of

Witnesses:

H. T. MUNsoN, M. B. PHILIPP,

